ITEM PHOTO BY OWEN O’ROURKE
Dexter Bishop holding a bible that was translated from Greek to Burmese by Adoniram Judson. This and other items concerning the history of the First Baptist Church of Lynn will be on display for the general public during their 200th anniversary celebration.
By BRIDGET TURCOTTE
LYNN — The First Baptist Church of Lynn is celebrating its 200th anniversary Saturday afternoon.
“The church goes all the way back to 1816,” said Dexter Bishop, chairman of the deacons for the First Baptist Church. “It’s been on this corner (of North Common and Park streets) since before 1860.
“It’s an old First. That’s what I call it.”
Bishop said there were Baptists in Lynn as far back as 1639. When they first attempted to congregate in the city, they were not well received by other residents.
“We were not welcomed in back in those days,” he said. “It was a congressional town.”
One of the foundations of the Baptist church is that its followers don’t baptize their children until they are old enough to understand and make the decision for themselves, Bishop said.
“It relates back to the personal relationship between Christ and self,” he said.
Over the course of two centuries, the church has seen architectural changes due to both preference and necessity. At one point, excessive storms caused the church’s steeple to collapse. It was rebuilt at a shorter height but was later struck by lightning and burned.
Bishop said that in its heyday, the facility held 1,000 people, but would only be able to fit approximately 600 today.
“We’ve evolved to sharing the facility with other churches,” he said. “Some have been with us since the early 90s. That has kept the old First going.”
The First Baptist Church shares the facility with Tabernacle Evangelique de Louange, La Iglesia Cristiana “El Siloe,” Karen Baptist Church, and Myanman Christian Fellowship.
“When we go forward in the next 200 years, we hope to have multicultural services in an English speaking church,” Bishop said. “Younger people want it in English. We’re going to provide an (additional) hour-long service in English. We’re not stopping our churches from holding it in their native tongue.”
The other churches have brought additional updates to the facility, including a new screen, various new instruments, and high-tech sound systems.
“But we still use hymn books, we still use an organ,” Bishop said.
The church has two organs; one is located at the altar and dates back to 1928, and the other, which is located in the steeple, is original to the church, he said.
During the event, Burmese and Asian foods will be served in the backyard, followed by worship services in the church. Mary Miller, executive minister of the American Baptist Churches, will attend as a guest speaker.
In preparation for the celebration, tables presenting artifacts from the church’s past two decades have been set up inside. A piece of eastern white pine was salvaged from the structure and will be one of many items on display during Saturday’s event.
A photo of the inside of the church dated back to 1890, a bible from 1866, record books, and newspaper articles fill several of the tables.
Donald Belben will play the organ and the Karens from Burma will play music.
The First Baptist Church of Lynn is located at 137 Park St. The event will begin at 12:30 p.m.
Bridget Turcotte can be reached at bturcotte@itemlive.com. Follow her on Twitter @BridgetTurcotte